i just came across this,

but it's interesting.

 

Researchers capture image of hydrogen atoms electron orbital for first time

http://www.geek.com/science/researchers-capture-image-of-hydrogen-atoms-electron-orbital-for-first-time-1556448/

 

Hydrogen Atoms under Magnification: Direct Observation of the Nodal Structure of Stark States

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v110/i21/e213001

That's amazing.

Looks like a probability pattern or cloud to me.

 

I understand the orbit idea is Rutherford's alternative to the plum pudding idea they had at the time. Whereby the only way they could visualise (say) a negatively charged electron not instantly crashing into the positively charged proton was to have it in orbit, in a similar way as Earth's orbit prevents its gravitational attraction causing it to crash into the Sun.

 

I think the ring shape or pattern you see is a probability cloud, within which an electron (for hydrogen) will be found, within the constraints of Heisenberg's uncertainty. It just happens to be a doughnut shape, which looks like an orbit.

 

The orbit idea is a classical construct, which over time should decay like all classical orbits - end of the universe. It doesn't because it isn't.

Edited July 30, 201312 yr by Delbert

what you see when you look into the eye of inertial pressure differential

 

ItS

peace

Looks like a probability pattern or cloud to me.

 

I understand the orbit idea is Rutherford's alternative to the plum pudding idea they had at the time. Whereby the only way they could visualise (say) a negatively charged electron not instantly crashing into the positively charged proton was to have it in orbit, in a similar way as Earth's orbit prevents its gravitational attraction causing it to crash into the Sun.

 

I think the ring shape or pattern you see is a probability cloud, within which an electron (for hydrogen) will be found, within the constraints of Heisenberg's uncertainty. It just happens to be a doughnut shape, which looks like an orbit.

 

The orbit idea is a classical construct, which over time should decay like all classical orbits - end of the universe. It doesn't because it isn't.

An orbital and an orbit are different things.